Highway danger-signal



c. G. FISHER. HIGHWAY DANGER SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED` FEB. 24, |916.

' Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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" HIGHWAY DANGER SIGNAL.

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Y l APPLICATION msn Fes. 24. 191s. 4 1,360,203.

UNITEDSTATss PATENT OFFICE.

CARL G. FISHER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE PREST-O-LITE COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORFORATION 0F NEW YORK.

nieuwer DANGERSIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. ce, ieee.

Application filed February 24. 1916. Serial No. 80,289.

To ott 'wlw/mit may concern Be it known that I, CARL (i, Fisirnn, a citizen of the United. States, residing at lndianapolis, Marion county, and State of lndiana, have invented and discovered certain Anew and useful Improvements in Highway langenSignals. of which the following is a specification.

p The purpose of my said invention is to gyn'ovide afhighway safety signal designed to warn the driver of a vehicle, whether motor propelled. or otherwise, of the approachto a railway crossing, or other place oit" danger, so 'that the driver will be warned a suflicient distance in advance oit reaching said place to guard against accident from approaching trains on the railway tracks, or danger from othercauses, and thus guard. against the numerous serious, and o'tttimes iatal, accidents resulting from crossing railway tracks and entering other danger zones that are not conspicuously noticeable or possibly adequately marked or guarded.

In carrying out this purpose, I provide an apparatus designed to be located in the roadway oi' the highway at a distance from such danger zone, and constructed to be operated by the passing of a vehicle to operate a warning signal and announce to the driver that he `is approaching danger and put him on guard against possible accident.

`Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

.Figure 1 is a sectional view across the roadway7 and through the operating mecha nism of my apparatus, illustrating the connections with the signal and manner of operation, p i

Fig. 2 atop or plan view with certai portions shown in section,

Fig. 3 a detail view on an enlarged scale, similar to a portion of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 ahorizontal sectional view of said portion,

Fig. 5 a transverse sectional view thereof, Fig. 6 a detail view of one of the parts, and i Fig. 7 a detail section on an enlarged scale, similar to a portion ofFig. 2.

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the operating members set in the roadway, B a connecting rod, and C the signal stand.

ln the construction of the apparatus a housing is embedded across the roadway, consistin of an appropriate casing 107 pret erably o metal, in which the trip members A. are mounted,` Said casing is provided with" appropriate cross members 11 and other cross `members 12, `which serve to strengthen the casing and supportthe operative parts. i

ach member A. is formed with depend ing sockets,` or flanges, 13 near each end on its underside, to which depending bars 14 are attached by pins (or lugs) 15 extending from opposite sides near the top of each bar and adapted to engage with slots 16 in the sides of said socket. .Said slots 16 are preierahly formed, as shown, to extend through to one sideof the sockets 13, terminating at their inner ends in vertical portions `adapted to receive and retain the rectangular pins 15, and maintain the bars 14 in. practically rigid vertical relation with the members A.. but permit their ready and convenientengagement or separation. .A coiled spring 17 is interposed between the lower end of each socket 13 and a seat `formed in the top face oi `each cross-member 12. These several.

` springs serve to support the members .A in

normal position. i Each bar 14 extends through a perforation in the member 12, which perforation serves as a guide there* for, and near'its lower end, is orinedwith a hook 18 adapted to 4engage under a loch`w rod 19 which is mounted in perforations in the crossmembers 12, and thus` serves to limit the upward movement of the bars 14 and members A, retaining said members A in normal position against the force of the springs 17. The perforations in which said bars 19 are mounted, are formed with side recessed portions 20, into which the bar may be forced by means of a pointed rod forced downward through an aperture c in each member LA.. This serves to unlock the conwith'the upper faces of the perforations and serves to lock the parts in normal position.

An ang-le or bell-crank lever 2l is mounted on aA pivotk 22 between sidek flanges adjacent to the cross member 12, the horizontal arm of which contacts with the lower end of the push bar 12, and the other or Yvertical arm of which contacts with a pin 23 on the connecting rod B. Each of the lsections A is thus connected at each end to operate the connecting rod B. Said rod extends entirely across the roadway, or from end to end of the trap, and the trap is of sufficient length so that at least one wheel of any vehicle passing must pass over one of .said sections, thus insuring the reciproeation of said connecting rod.

Said connecting rod B is pivotally connected to one end of a bell-crank lever 2i, in the casing2, alongside the highway, the other end of saidA bell-crank lever being connected to another rod 26 which is connected to the end of another bell-crank lever 2T in another casing 28 at a distance toward the railway track, or danger zone, from the trap. ,The easing 28 is the bottoni of the signal stand C, on the upper part of which is mounted a signal'29 of any appropriate character or design. This signal is operated from the bell-crank lever 27, through a connecting rod 30.

The construction illustrated includes connections from the easing 10 to the signal stand, these connections consisting in main ofordinary angles and appropriate iron pipe connections, or may be of any other construction found suitable.

While the signal illustrated is a bell signal, it will be understood, of course, that signals of other types, or of any preferred type found appropriate, may be used.

'In use the topof sections A vwill be arranged` slightly above the normal surface of the roadway, as'- indicated in F ig. 5, andf approaches on either side willbe constructed ofl appropriate form. n

'lt will also be understood that this device maybe located wherever needed to give warning of approach to a Vdanger zone, and

-maybe duplicated as frequently as required tor-secure the lb est results in use. For eX- ample, in the case of a double-track railrojad, t mayjbegfound advisable to locate two sign-alsa' short distance apart, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the dfriver, in approaching the railroad track, will get two warnings instead of one, and thus understand thathe is approaching a double-track road, and not attempt to pass Vover the track immediately following the passing of one train in one direction, but

wait to make sure that another train is not approaching in the other direction on the .other track. The signal should be so located in said housing and having ha s depending` therefrom, bell crank levers mounted in the housing and connecting through f-'aid depending bars with said depressible ineinher. a reciproeable rod passing through the hous`v ing and engaging with the bell crank leverto be actuated thereby, and a signal device to be operated by said rod, substantially as set forth.

2. In a highway danger signaling apparatus the combination of a housing having a pair of perforated cross-bars, ay depressible member mounted in the trap and having depending bars passing through said perforations, springs fitted on said bars supporting and normally keeping the depressible member in operative position, a pair of bell-crank levers mounted in the housing` and engaged to be operated hy said depending bars, a reciproeable rod passing through the housing and engaging with the bell-crank levers to be actuated the1eby,and a signal. device connectld to be operated hy said rod, substantially as set forth.

3. ln a highway danger signaling apparatus the combination of a housing, a depressible member mounted in the housing and having depending bars constructed with hooked portions, springs fitted on said depending bars and normally keeping the depressible member in ope 1ative position, a rod engaging the hooked portions in said bars and holding the depressible member against displacement from the housing. means mounted in the housing engaging said depending bars and adapted to be actuated thereby, and a signaling device con` nected to be operated by said means, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand and seal at Miami, Florida, this 12th day of February, A. D. nineteen hundred and sixteen.

CARL G. FISHER. 

